Indian-Origin Web Expert Faces Jail For Fraud In UK

LONDON: A 31-year-old Indian-origin web manager charged with siphoning off nearly 100,000 pounds from his boss’ firm is facing jail in the UK. Gaurav Sachan, who worked as digital head for home improvement firm Alison At Home, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and was on Tuesday released on bail to appear before Southwark Crown Court in London next month. Gaurav is accused of stealing 91,568 pounds from celebrity interior designer Alison Cork. The fraud occurred between March and December 2014 by moving cash via PayPal accounts, ‘Evening Standard’ reported. Gaurav helped divert the funds into someone else’s account by altering the account details held in the firm’s name. Prosecutors accepted his guilty plea ahead of a proposed trial this week and Gaurav will now be sentenced on July 25. Another accounts manager at the business was jailed in February last year for stealing 23,000 pounds from the company. Abeyomi Ogunagbadaro, 45, was given a 16-month sentence for embezzling the cash and then laundering it via two of his friends’ bank accounts. Ogunagbadaro had been sacked after only two months back in 2014 for poor performance but his fraud only came to light once he had left the firm. Alison Cork, who launched the home improvement business in 2012, is a well-known interior designer and also appears on television makeover shows in the UK.